Forrester Research has positioned Microsoft as a leader in the “The Forrester Wave: Self-Service Business Intelligence Platforms, Q2 2012” report. In this report, Forrester highlights Microsoft’s approach to delivering self-service BI through the familiar tools of Excel and SharePoint.
The research discovered that “Microsoft enables business users to look no further than Excel for self-service BI. Microsoft has built on its broad, omnipresent, SQL Server-based BI functionality, which already includes Integration Services, Reporting Services, and Analysis Services.
“It now offers a very respectable PowerPivot and Power View in-memory data analysis and discovery engine. Think of this as Excel on steroids. If you are already using Excel (and who isn’t?) look no further for your self-service BI platform – especially when you already have it anyway, as most likely it’s already part of your Enterprise SQL Server and/or SharePoint license.
“Microsoft may only offer around 80% of advanced BI functionality as compared with other leading vendors, but what it lacks in features it more than makes up for in cost/benefits ratios.”
Download the full report here.